Abraaj Capital, a Saudi Arabia-based private equity firm, is planning to invest $547m exclusively in the country, to focus on making investments across a variety of asset classes including private equity, small-and-medium sized enterprises (SMEs), real estate, and public equities.
Abraaj said that the launch of the investment platform is to capitalize on the favorable macroeconomic landscape and the investment opportunities that the Kingdom has to offer.
The plan to initiate the investment platform is subject to obtaining all necessary regulatory clearances and approvals from all relevant regulators including the Capital Markets Authority (CMA).
Abraaj Capital founder and group CEO Arif Naqvi said one of the areas this initiative will be active in is to facilitate the growth of small and medium enterprises here in Saudi Arabia.
"The launch of our Saudi focused investment platform is a compelling private-sector initiative that, we believe, will help address this demographic imbalance by facilitating expansion opportunities for Saudi-based companies," Naqvi said.
Abraaj has over 100 investment professionals in eight offices across MENASA, including a dedicated team of senior executives and advisers who focus on operational issues at partner companies.